Garden Station, a planned 348-unit mixed-use complex next to Villa Park’s Metra station, has cleared another big hurdle and is closing in on a final up-or-down vote. The seven-story plan features ground-floor retail and is billed as a Passive House-inspired, energy-efficient building aiming for net-zero performance. Developers say the project would inject new housing and resident amenities into the downtown corridor and dramatically reshape the block flanking the train tracks.
According to the Chicago Business Journal, Villa Park’s Planning & Zoning Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals have reapproved Garden Station, clearing the way for trustees to weigh in at a Village Board meeting on Monday, July 13. The Business Journal reports that the development will include retail space and is designed around passive-house principles.
Developer Talks Net-Zero Goals and New Lender
In a release distributed via PR Newswire, developer Hawthorne World said the foreclosure lawsuit that had stalled the project has been dismissed and that a substitute lender is now in place. The company describes Garden Station as Passive House-inspired and outlines a slate of amenities meant to support transit-oriented living.
Financial and Legal Backstory
The proposal arrives at this stage with a contentious recent history. A bridge lender sued to foreclose on the site in 2024, a move that reporting said exposed unpaid liens and froze momentum. The Real Deal detailed that foreclosure action and related contractor claims, while meeting summaries published by Citizen Portal show trustees later authorizing negotiations and an acquisition process for property commonly identified as 405 N. Ardmore. The village’s redevelopment materials for TIF 6 lay out the Ardmore & Vermont area as a targeted district and describe incentive tools designed to pull projects into that block, with documents posted on the village’s website.
What It Would Add to Downtown
Planning documents and recent coverage describe roughly 15,000 square feet of ground-floor retail paired with amenities such as a pool, fitness facilities and co-working spaces intended to drive more foot traffic around the station. Local reporting that dates back to the original approvals has consistently mapped the Ardmore/Vermont block next to the Metra platform as the core of the transit-oriented district the village has been working to redevelop.
The Village Board’s vote next Monday is the next formal step. If trustees sign off on the redevelopment agreement and any remaining conditions, the developer says it will pivot to permitting and construction preparations while coordinating with the village on TIF and infrastructure details. Neighbors and downtown businesses who have previously raised alarms about demolition, traffic and neighborhood character are expected to keep pressing for conditions or mitigation as approvals and permits advance.
